On Wednesday, February 10, 2016, the Major County Sheriffs’ Association (MCSA) installed a new group of executive officers who will serve in 2016-2017. The installation of new MCSA Executive Officers occurred at the MCSA Winter Meeting held in Washington DC.

Even with a $1.5 million budget bump and a staff increase to 16 from 1, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens has managed to approve only “1,058 permits since the February ruling, compared with 408 all of last year” per the Los Angeles Times yesterday.

The Times reported:

To keep up with demand, the sheriff allocated $1.5 million and beefed up staffing to 16 from one to process applications. At one point, some employees worked nights and met with applicants on the weekends to catch up, said sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Jeff Hallock.

Photo: OC Weekly

We’d think, rather we’d expect that the Sheriff could be moving a lot faster with these new resources — so is she telegraphing her disdain for the “federal court ruling in February led the sheriff to grant permits to those who simply state a desire to carry weapons for personal safety rather than requiring a documented justification”? Or is she simply backhanding the Second Amendment that protects the right of individuals to keep and bear arms?

Of course, there’s a third possibility that our tax money is just being wasted in a county bureaucratic exercise she’s created to slow down the legal carrying of firearms by those OC/US Citizens that wish to — whether or not Sandra believes they really need them. We’d also point out that the Constitution and Bill of Rights say nothing about gun registration, serialization, personal interviews, filling out forms or payment of fees — all forms of infringement. Continue reading→

Residents and elected officials attended the Board of Supervisors meeting this week to speak in favor of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs (AOCDS) for Peace Officer and Supervising Peace Officer Units. When the Board of Supervisors entered into negotiations with the Orange County Sheriff’s Deputies, their goal was to reduce taxpayers’ pension burden by having employees pay 100 percent of their employee retirement contributions. This contract achieves 100 percent pickup by all deputies.

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and Tom Dominguez, President of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs attended the board meeting and spoke in favor of the agreement on Tuesday. Continue reading→

A fundraising reception for OC Clerk-Recorder Hugh Nguyen will be hosted by Sean Mill and Tina M. Estrada on May 1, 2014, from 6 to 8 pm, at the home of Carlos Velasquez, at 2335 Portrait Way in Tustin.

Due to a massive surge in applications for permits to carry a concealed weapon (CCW), Supervisor Todd Spitzer last week proposed adding additional human resources for the Sheriff’s Department to rapidly clear the emerging backlog of CCW applications. This week, the Board of Supervisors approved hiring up to 15 working retirees for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to avert a backlog of CCW applications. Continue reading→

SANTA ANA, Calif. – (February 26, 2014) – Law enforcement continues to see a trend involving Human Trafficking in Orange County. Human Trafficking involves the illegal trade of people for exploitation purposes or commercial gain. Victims are often sexually exploited or involved in forced labor arrangements. Human Trafficking is a violation of a person’s human rights and manifests itself in our modern day lives. Sheriff Hutchens is committed to ongoing efforts to support operations that will positively impact the fight against Human Trafficking. Continue reading→